Gold sink

A gold sink is any game mechanic that removes currency from an in-game economy, thereby counteracting the inflationary effects of farming. Without gold sinks, in-game prices would spiral out of control, rendering it impossible for new and casual players to afford to trade with those that play frequently.

Some players also use gold sink incorrectly to refer to items that trade among players at prices far exceeding their functional values. However, player-to-player trades never remove money from a game. In fact, gold sinks are designed to prevent such unreasonable prices for all but the most highly coveted items.

Contents

The primary currency sinks in Guild Wars are the NPCs who require payment for goods or services: the crafters, traders, and others who take gold or materials from players, permanently removing it from circulation. The most important sinks are:

Although the purchase of consets removes value from the game, their importance in speed farming increases the value of their component materials, counteracting the anti-inflationary importance of a true sink. If all conset (and similar items) were removed from the game, it is possible that prices for some materials would drop.

Similarly, the Zaishen Chest removes the Zaishen Keys (a gold substitute) from the game. However, Zaishen Keys by themselves have no in-game value; only the items removed from the chest can be sold to NPCs.

The Hall of Monuments and the related HoM calculator are the two most important sink-related incentives, since the expectation of rewards in Guild Wars 2 encourages people to transfer cash and goods to NPCs. However, their existence also causes people to farm, which creates new wealth.